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1. Optimization of crystal packing in semiconducting spin-crossover materials with fractionally charged TCNQ ^δ− anions (0 < δ < 1)

   https://doi.org/10.1039/D1SC02843J  

   Üngör, Ökten ; Choi, Eun Sang ; Shatruk, Michael ( August 2021 , Chemical Science)

   Co-crystallization of the prominent Fe( ii ) spin-crossover (SCO) cation, [Fe(3-bpp) 2 ] 2+ (3-bpp = 2,6-bis(pyrazol-3-yl)pyridine), with a fractionally charged TCNQ δ − radical anion has afforded a hybrid complex [Fe(3-bpp) 2 ](TCNQ) 3 ·5MeCN (1·5MeCN, where δ = −0.67). The partially desolvated material shows semiconducting behavior, with the room temperature conductivity σ RT = 3.1 × 10 −3 S cm −1 , and weak modulation of conducting properties in the region of the spin transition. The complete desolvation, however, results in the loss of hysteretic behavior and a very gradual SCO that spans the temperature range of 200 K. A related complex with integer-charged TCNQ − anions, [Fe(3-bpp) 2 ](TCNQ) 2 ·3MeCN (2·3MeCN), readily loses the interstitial solvent to afford desolvated complex 2 that undergoes an abrupt and hysteretic spin transition centered at 106 K, with an 11 K thermal hysteresis. Complex 2 also exhibits a temperature-induced excited spin-state trapping (TIESST) effect, upon which a metastable high-spin state is trapped by flash-cooling from room temperature to 10 K. Heating above 85 K restores the ground-state low-spin configuration. An approach to improve the structural stability of such complexes is demonstrated by using a related ligand 2,6-bis(benzimidazol-2′-yl)pyridine (bzimpy) to obtainmore »[Fe(bzimpy) 2 ](TCNQ) 6 ·2Me 2 CO (4) and [Fe(bzimpy) 2 ](TCNQ) 5 ·5MeCN (5), both of which exist as LS complexes up to 400 K and exhibit semiconducting behavior, with σ RT = 9.1 × 10 −2 S cm −1 and 1.8 × 10 −3 S cm −1 , respectively.« less
2. Synthesis of SCO FeII complexes with novel π-extended 2,2'-biimidazole ligands

   Yergeshbayeva, S. ; Shatruk, M. ( April 2021 , National Meeting of the American Chemical Society)

   Spin crossover (SCO) is a phenomenon observed for certain transition metal complexes with electronic configuration 3d4-3d7. The conversion between the low-spin (LS) and high-spin (HS) states is usually driven by a variety of external perturbations, such as temperature, pressure, or light. The switching between the enthalpically preferred LS state and entropically favorable HS state is accompanied by dramatic changes in the metal-ligand bond lengths, unit cell volume, optical absorption spectrum, and magnetic susceptibility.1 These changes make SCO materials suitable for applications in sensors, memory, and display devices. One of the central challenges in the SCO research is to initiate strongly cooperative interactions known to lead to abrupt spin transitions and thermal hysteresis that can be harvested as a memory effect. One of the strategies to enhance the cooperativity is to design SCO complexes with supramolecular interactions such as π-stacking of aromatic fragments or hydrogen bonding.2 In this work, we report syntheses and characterization of heteroleptic complexes of [Fe(tpma)(L)](ClO4)2 (tpma = tris(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)amine) with novel π-extended biimidazole-type ligands (L) bearing 2,3-dimethyl-naphthalene-, 6,7-dimethyl-2,3-diphenyl-quinoxaline, and 2,3-dimethyl-anthracene pendant fragments. Solvent-free naphthalene-functionalized complex [Fe(tpma)(xnap-bim)](ClO4)2 exhibits abrupt spin transition at T1/2 = 127K with a narrow 1 K hysteresis loop. In contrast, polymorph of this complex thatmore »contains one interstitial molecules of pyridine exhibits gradual SCO. Anthracene-functionalized complex [Fe(tpma)(anthra-bim)](ClO4)2 also crystallizes as two polymorphs. Structural studies at 100, 230, and 300 K revealed dramatic changes in the N-Fe-N biting angles and Fe-N distances, indicating the occurrence of temperature-induced SCO. Complex [Fe(tpma)(quin-bim)](ClO4)2 (quin-bim = 6,7-dimethyl-2,3-diphenyl-quinoxaline-2,2’-biimidazole) showed only HS state at 100 and 230 K. In the crystal packing the mononuclear cations form stacks along b axis. We discuss how the observed magnetic behavior correlates with changes in the crystal packing and interactions between the pendant aromatic substituents on the aforementioned complexes.« less
3. Effects of intervalence charge transfer interaction between π-stacked mixed valent tetrathiafulvalene ligands on the electrical conductivity of 3D metal–organic frameworks

   https://doi.org/10.1039/d1sc04338b  

   Zhang, Shiyu ; Panda, Dillip K. ; Yadav, Ashok ; Zhou, Wei ; Saha, Sourav ( October 2021 , Chemical Science)

   Achieving a molecular-level understanding of how the structures and compositions of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) influence their charge carrier concentration and charge transport mechanism—the two key parameters of electrical conductivity—is essential for the successful development of electrically conducting MOFs, which have recently emerged as one of the most coveted functional materials due to their diverse potential applications in advanced electronics and energy technologies. Herein, we have constructed four new alkali metal (Na, K, Rb, and Cs) frameworks based on an electron-rich tetrathiafulvalene tetracarboxylate (TTFTC) ligand, which formed continuous π-stacks, albeit with different π–π-stacking and S⋯S distances ( d π–π and d S⋯S ). These MOFs also contained different amounts of aerobically oxidized TTFTC˙ + radical cations that were quantified by electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy. Density functional theory calculations and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy demonstrated that depending on the π–π-interaction and TTFTC˙ + population, these MOFs enjoyed varying degrees of TTFTC/TTFTC˙ + intervalence charge transfer (IVCT) interactions, which commensurately affected their electronic and optical band gaps and electrical conductivity. Having the shortest d π–π (3.39 Å) and the largest initial TTFTC˙ + population (∼23%), the oxidized Na-MOF 1-ox displayed the narrowest band gap (1.33 eV) and the highest room temperature electrical conductivitymore »(3.6 × 10 −5 S cm −1 ), whereas owing to its longest d π–π (3.68 Å) and a negligible TTFTC˙ + population, neutral Cs-MOF 4 exhibited the widest band gap (2.15 eV) and the lowest electrical conductivity (1.8 × 10 −7 S cm −1 ). The freshly prepared but not optimally oxidized K-MOF 2 and Rb-MOF 3 initially displayed intermediate band gaps and conductivity, however, upon prolonged aerobic oxidation, which raised the TTFTC˙ + population to saturation levels (∼25 and 10%, respectively), the resulting 2-ox and 3-ox displayed much narrower band gaps (∼1.35 eV) and higher electrical conductivity (6.6 × 10 −5 and 4.7 × 10 −5 S cm −1 , respectively). The computational studies indicated that charge movement in these MOFs occurred predominantly through the π-stacked ligands, while the experimental results displayed the combined effects of π–π-interactions, TTFTC˙ + population, and TTFTC/TTFTC˙ + IVCT interaction on their electronic and optical properties, demonstrating that IVCT interactions between the mixed-valent ligands could be exploited as an effective design strategy to develop electrically conducting MOFs.« less
4. Pyridyl-Thioethers as Capping Ligands for the Design of Heteroleptic Fe(II) Complexes with Spin-Crossover Behavior

   https://doi.org/10.3390/magnetochemistry7100134  

   Üngör, Ökten ; Igimbayeva, Dilyara ; Dragulescu-Andrasi, Alina ; Yergeshbayeva, Sandugash ; Delgado, Teresa ; Greer, Samuel M. ; Donalson, Gabrielle ; Jo, Minyoung ; Erkasov, Rakhmetulla ; Shatruk, Michael ( October 2021 , Magnetochemistry)

   Mononuclear heteroleptic complexes [Fe(tpma)(bimz)](ClO4)2 (1a), [Fe(tpma)(bimz)](BF4)2 (1b), [Fe(bpte)(bimz)](ClO4)2 (2a), and [Fe(bpte)(bimz)](BF4)2 (2b) (tpma = tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine, bpte = S,S′-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)-1,2-thioethane, bimz = 2,2′-biimidazoline) were prepared by reacting the corresponding Fe(II) salts with stoichiometric amounts of the ligands. All complexes exhibit temperature-induced spin crossover (SCO), but the SCO temperature is substantially lower for complexes 1a and 1b as compared to 2a and 2b, indicating the stronger ligand field afforded by the N2S2-coordinating bpte ligand relative to the N4-coordinating tpma. Our findings suggest that ligands with mixed N/S coordination can be employed to discover new SCO complexes and to tune the transition temperature of known SCO compounds by substituting for purely N-coordinating ligands.
5. Dynamics of Spin Crossover Molecular Complexes

   https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12101742  

   Ekanayaka, Thilini K. ; Maity, Krishna Prasad ; Doudin, Bernard ; Dowben, Peter A. ( May 2022 , Nanomaterials)

   We review the current understanding of the time scale and mechanisms associated with the change in spin state in transition metal-based spin crossover (SCO) molecular complexes. Most time resolved experiments, performed by optical techniques, rely on the intrinsic light-induced switching properties of this class of materials. The optically driven spin state transition can be mediated by a rich interplay of complexities including intermediate states in the spin state transition process, as well as intermolecular interactions, temperature, and strain. We emphasize here that the size reduction down to the nanoscale is essential for designing SCO systems that switch quickly as well as possibly retaining the memory of the light-driven state. We argue that SCO nano-sized systems are the key to device applications where the “write” speed is an important criterion.